I’ll be honest: I entertained the idea of not doing a Top 5 list this year. As you undoubtedly noticed, I’m very rarely showing new models 😥. A son studying abroad has the tendency to wipe away your toys & candy fund. Moreover, like everything else, 1:43 models are each year more expensive, so that complicate things. Even so, right now the W-143 Garage counts on 584 cool models 😎! Okay, okay, there may be some not-so-cool ones in there and even some dogs, but most are cool. Since this year the new acquisitions were slimmer, it was easier to make the Top 5 Models of 2025 list (in chronological order):
1️⃣ OBVIOUSLY, the 9X8. In my eyes the poster boy for the Hypercar era, even though that wingless design was a disaster, it looked cool af. No doubt, perhaps THE most unique-looking car at La Sarthe in the last 30 years. And of course, a grail model for me.
2️⃣ Perhaps I may have mentioned before that I’m not a great Maranello fan 🤔? Yeah, maybe once or twice… 😂 Well, I may not like the brand very much but they have two important things going for them. First, Ferrari has some VERY gorgeous cars. And second, they have history, which for me is paramount. And in this case, 50 years in the making.
3️⃣ The Hoonipigasus is for sure one of the wackiest racecars I’ve ever seen. Something that for any rational purpose, shouldn’t exist. Yet, thankfully to some individuals that think “Why not?”, it exists and I have it in the W-143 Garage. It’s one of those models that you have to know the history behind it to fully appreciate it.
4️⃣ A NASCAR racing at La Sarthe? For 24 hours 🤨? Sounds like a publicity stunt… Well, it was, but a VERY cool publicity stunt. The last time that happened was in 1976, also as a publicity stunt. The difference is that none of the 1976 NASCAR cars finished, and the ZL1 #24 finished in 39th place. And it came in first in its (one car) class. Helluva good publicity stunt if you ask me.
5️⃣ In my eyes, the 205 T16, along with the Audi Quattro and Lancia S4, are THE best Group B cars ever. It took a long time for me to add one to the W-143 Garage, but in June I finally got one. Nowadays, these models are HTF and usually expensive, but a gorgeous model from Ixo, very well represented in 1:43. So of course, one of my rally grails.